Abstract
Spartina marshes, comprising four species (Mobeley, 1956), occur along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America, from Nova Scotia to Argentina. Distribution is discontinuous, with the greatest interruption associated with the mangrove jungle of the Amazon River delta. Recently, Eleuterius and Meyers (1974) found that three of these marsh grass species were regular hosts for the fungus Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul. In 1966, Samuelson and Gjerstad proposed to separate as a new species, Claviceps maritima, the feather ergot parasitizing a Spartina species from the coast of Argentina. The basis for this separation was the consistent and usually high (0.78%) total alkaloid content compared with that of 0.15% recorded in most pharmacopeias. The specific name proposed for the was that of the host plant, believed to be Spartina maritima (Curt.) Fern., although accurate identification was uncertain. Our investigation, based on the monograph of the genus Spartina by Mobeley (1956) and a floristic survey of the Argentine coast by Cabrera (1970), indicates that the host species was probably Spartina alterniflora Loisel. Furthermore, Spartina maritima is restricted to the old world.
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